Reassessment of the Itaipú Treaty and ‘brasiguayo’ political power could reshape Paraguay’s relationship with Brazil

Since the end of the Stroessner dictatorship in 1989, the surge in Brazilian economic, political, and cultural influence has been so pronounced as to make Paraguay almost a client state of its more powerful neighbour. This is clearest in the unequal outcomes of the Itaipú Treaty on joint hydroelectricity generation and in the untrammelled political power of Brazilian-Paraguayan agribusiness in […]

We need to understand the Responsibility to Protect before we (mis)apply it in Venezuela

The principle of the Responsibility to Protect, endorsed unanimously by the United Nations in 2005, is an important component of a global, collective security system. But invoking it inaccurately will do little to help the victims that is was designed to protect, writes Adrian Gallagher (European Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, University of Leeds).

How can the UK strengthen its relationships with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean?

The UK already enjoys significant commercial, diplomatic, cultural, and defence links with many Latin American and Caribbean countries. But moves to address outdated perceptions of the region, to facilitate business engagement, and to streamline governance of these relationships could strengthen them even further in the post-Brexit era, write Joanna Crellin (UK Trade Commissioner for Latin America and the Caribbean) and Edward Elliott (British Foreign Policy […]

Panama could soon become China’s gateway to Latin America thanks to an imminent free trade agreement

Since Panama established diplomatic relations with China in June 2017, the two countries have developed an incredibly strong relationship. Only geostrategic sensitivities relating to the trade war between China and the US have prevented the two countries from announcing the conclusion (in record time) of a bilateral free trade agreement. But it is now a matter of when not if, […]

The presence of Cuban healthcare professionals in countries like Brazil, Bolivia, and Haiti has followed a clear path from protest to acceptance, but the case Venezuela shows the vital importance of political neutrality, write Emily J. Kirk (Dalhousie University), Chris Walker (St Mary’s University), and Arturo Méndez (University of Camagüey).

US trade sanctions are also hurting Jamaica, Guyana, and the wider Caribbean

The Trump administration’s “America First” policy and sanctions on Russia and Venezuela have significant unintended consequences in the Caribbean, especially for the bauxite industries of Jamaica and Guyana, writes David Jessop (Caribbean Council).

Although Latin America provides a third of the AIIB’s prospective members and co-financing is desperately needed, the region has been slow to respond to the bank’s repeated overtures, writes Álvaro Méndez (LSE Global South Unit).

The implications of a divisive Summit of the Americas in Lima

The 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru, will be divisive, potentially leaving Latin America and the Caribbean in leaderless disarray just when changing international relationships require unity and a common identity, writes David Jessop (Caribbean Council).

US encouragement of a military coup in Venezuela is dangerous for both countries

Publicly condoning military action and using economic sanctions to provoke it will only exacerbate Venezuelan suffering and further damage the tattered reputation of the US on democracy and human-rights issues in the Western Hemisphere, writes Timothy M. Gill (University of North Carolina, Wilmington).

China’s new relations with Panama and Costa Rica are another step towards a Beijing Consensus in Central America

Increased trade, aid, investment, and diplomatic engagement between China and both Costa Rica and Panama signal a more general projection of Chinese economic and political standards in international trade policy, writes Sophie Wintgens (Université Libre de Bruxelles).

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